Featured News
White House announces RA Responder Challenge
As part of Champions of Change event recognizing leaders in “Open Science”, our PGRN-Sage RA Responder Challenge was announced at the White House on June 21. The event recognized the contributions of our collaborator, Stephen Friend (Sage Bionetworks), as a Champion of Change. (Congratulations Stephen!) A blog from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) covering the event can be found here. A link to the White House fact sheet on the announcements made by several of the Open Science Champions, including Stephen’s announcement of the RA Responder Challenge, can be found here. A YouTube video of the White House event can be found here; Stephen’s remarks come at 27min 40sec and his announcement of the RA Challenge comes at 44min 13sec. The White House press release covering the Open Science Champions of Change can be found here. The RA press release was posted on 235 news sites, including the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! News, Bio-Medicine, and GenomeWeb.
News
White House announces RA Responder Challenge
June 27, 2013As part of Champions of Change event recognizing leaders in “Open Science”, our PGRN-Sage RA Responder Challenge was announced at the White House on June 21. The event recognized the contributions of our collaborator, Stephen Friend (Sage Bionetworks), as a Champion of Change… (READ MORE here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
Rheumatology Research Foundation
May 4, 2013On November 10, 2012, the ACR REF became the Rheumatology Research Foundation. Three words…one mission: To advance research and training to improve the health of people with rheumatic disease. Our new name more clearly conveys our identity, allowing us to strengthen our bonds to the Rheumatology Research Foundation … (READ MORE here)
Sage Congress – The Truth of Personalized Medicine
March 12, 2013The 4th Commons Congress will take place in San Francisco, 19-20 April 2013, around the theme of “The Truth of Personalized Medicine: Our Commons Future”. Now three years old, Sage Bionetworks is coming into its own in piloting components needed to build a biomedical research commons … (READ MORE here)
Dr. Plenge joins the Scientific Advisory Board of the Rheumatology Research Foundation
February 12, 2013The current charge of the Scientific Advisory Council includes serving as an advisory resource to the Rheumatology Research Foundation Board on issues regarding the scope and benefit of established and future award programs; and developing and …(READ MORE here)
Dr. Plenge invited to Arthritis & Rheumatism Editorial Board
February 12, 2013Dr. Plenge joins the Arthritis & Rheumatism (A&R) Editorial Board as an Associate Editor. A&R is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering the natural history, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcome of rheumatic diseases. It is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology … (READ MORE here)
Finalist for Bright Future Prize
February 12, 2013This year’s BWH Biomedical Research Institute BRIght Futures Prize finalists are addressing these themes in their research, with the hope of receiving the first-ever $100,000 BRIght Futures Prize. The prize will be awarded to one … (READ MORE here)
HudsonAlpha – Nature Conference on Immunogenomics
January 16, 2013Podcast interview with Robert Plenge: “Key to immunogenomics value: embed research in healthcare system”.
Biomedical grant awarded by ‘American Idol’-style public vote
December 6, 2012With so many top-notch research proposals seeking funding but only limited grant money to go around, deciding which among the best of the best projects to support is no easy task. What if you have a number of equally commendable applications and you don’t know how to break the … (READ MORE here)
Dr. Plenge joins Igynta Scientific Advisory Board
September 14, 2012Ignyta (formerly NexDx, Inc.), a science driven molecular diagnostics company providing next generation products and services for personalized medicine in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, announced today the appointment of internationally renowned physician-scientists, V. Michael Holers, M.D. and Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board … (READ MORE here)
Scientists Find Many Common Genetic Variations Play a Role in Common Diseases
July 1, 2012Scientists have long known that genetic variations play a role in the development of many common medical conditions. What they haven’t known is whether a small number of variants have a large effect on their development, or whether a large number have a small effect. New research supported … (READ MORE here)
Dr. Plenge elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
April 27, 2012The ASCI is an honor society of physician-scientists, those who translate findings in the laboratory to the advancement of clinical practice. Founded in 1908, the Society is home to more than 3,000 members who are in the upper ranks of academic medicine and industry … (READ MORE here)
New model helps explain “hidden heritability”
March 26, 2012Many common diseases run in families. In some families, the risk of developing a particular disease can approach 50%. Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified some of the genes that contribute to this risk, but for some diseases, a substantial portion … (READ MORE here)
Researcher receives large NIH grant for rheumatoid arthritis investigations
September 8, 2010Robert Plenge, a research scientist and a member of the Broad Institute’s Program in Medical and Population Genetics, has received a grant for $1.5 million per year for 5 years through the National Institutes of Health Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN) … (READ MORE here)
Deepening the search for clues to rheumatoid arthritis
November 8, 2009The gnawing pain of rheumatoid arthritis is a signal that the body’s immune system has hit the wrong target: its own cartilage and bone. The disease, which affects about 1% of the adult population worldwide, has no clear root cause, and for many patients, the available therapies are not effective … (READ MORE here)
Study highlights key players in autoimmune disease
September 15, 2008The immune system is indeed a critical ally, a staunch defender against disease. Yet when its ferocity is unleashed on the very things it should protect, namely the body’s organs and tissues, it morphs into an unwitting adversary. The genes … (READ MORE here)